Thinking about getting a dog? Do you really need one of your own, or could you possibly share?

It’s increasingly fashionable to hold up cats and dogs as furry little demons stoking the fires of the climate apocalypse. Although it appears that the carbon paw print of many dogs is larger than that of the average SUV, there are plenty of other good reasons dog ownership isn’t for everyone. While many people would like their own a canine companion, not everyone has the time, money, space, or commitment level to take on the responsibility of a full-time pet.

The solution? Enter the greener, friendlier world of the time-share dog.

Although I grew up with dogs, as a nominal adult, I’ve never owned a hound of my own. My yard is small, and fully occupied by plants and poultry. My daily schedule is erratic, and I’m often away from home - most days, fitting in two walks with a canine companion would be a logistical challenge. For me personally, owning a dog would be a slightly selfish endeavour - not only an unnecessary environmental impost, but also an indulgence that would create an animal that was bored and ignored for large swathes of its fretful existence.

But, like many people, I do enjoy spending time with animals. Which is why, most days, around 2pm, I choose to walk up a nearby driveway, unlatch a side gate, and kidnap my neighbours’ border collie.

Billy the dog is five years old. He belongs to my neighbours’ daughter, who can’t give him the exercise he really needs. In a nation of pet-lovers, he’s just one of an estimated 4.2m pet dogs living in Australia today - that’s about one for every five people. I have no stats on how many of these dogs would like to go for more walks, but excluding geriatric lapdogs, I’d bet it’d be most of them. Similarly, I know of few dog owners who would begrudge their pups more exercise.

The benefits of pet sharing are not solely confined to a decreasing your carbon footprint whilst increasing gross domestic happiness. Unlike a gym membership, it costs nothing to go for a walk with a borrowed local dog, unless you count the cost of the odd bag of dog treats. You don’t need to drive anywhere to get your exercise, making your workout a helluva lot less carbon-intensive than driving to your favourite sweat-parlour to work off those extra salted-caramel macarons.

Being congenitally lazy, I can also vouch for the value of having a furry friend who practically backflips with excitement when I turn up for a walk - Billy has done wonders for my commitment to physical exercise. But on the days that I can’t take him out, I don't feel too guilty letting him down - he has other friends who also take him for the occasional stroll.

There are also plenty of good, self-centred reasons not to buy a dog of your own. Dogs can be expensive, what with the food and the vet bills and the kennelling expenses, not to mention the loss of social capital you incur owning a barking beast that keeps your neighbours awake all night. Borrow a dog, and someone else picks up the poo, so to speak. You get all the fun, and very little of the responsibility.

Sites devoted to help you meet your part-time pet have sprung up in the US and UK, and there are some less established ones here in Australia too. If the idea of borrowing your neighbours’ pet still sounds like too much of a commitment, you could always volunteer to walk or foster a mutt from a local rescue centre, to give them a break until they find a “furever home”.

But why rely on the interwebz to meet your new furry friend, when you can just walk around the corner? Put down that iPad and unhand that mouse. Stop ROFLing at LOLCats. Unplug yourself and go outside.

Meet your neighbours. Steal their dog. Get some carbon-neutral exercise with an animal who really, really appreciates the extra walkies. Then take him back, to the loving home of the people who have chosen to pick up his poo.